Motor vehicles today are used for many purposes including commuting and trips of long duration. During such trips, for example, vehicle occupants often bring food and chilled beverages for consumption and such beverages are typically placed in various cup holders provided in today's vehicles. One disadvantage of the typical cup holders is that the chilled beverages often warm up to ambient vehicle temperature before or during their consumption. To counteract this disadvantage, a cooler is sometimes used by vehicle occupants to keep their beverages cool before consumption. However, using such a cooler in a vehicle requires, among other things, effort to pack and place the cooler in the vehicle as well as using vehicle interior space that could be used by an occupant or other cargo.
Thus, there is a need for a cooled instrument panel compartment that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages.